32 Weeks

Holy cow, I just looked at the calendar yesterday and realized I'm at 32 weeks, not 30 like I thought. I put E into high gear on the nursery (we still have a loooong way to go there), most likely because I went to a baby shower yesterday where the baby came a month early! Oops!

Newborn Jonathan was not at his own shower, but mom was, and I just got to thinking, crap, that could be me in a month! --Not at a shower, I don't believe in those for anything but your first kid, but with a preemie...could happen.

Everyone comments on how I haven't gained much weight, and I don't look 8 months pregnant (or, seven-and-three-quarters, however you do the math)...I gained 35 pounds with Tess (after losing 12 in my 1st trimester). I lost 15 pounds with this one, my nauseau lasted well into my 4th month, but I haven't really gained it back this time. I'm hovering around my pre-pregnancy weight, 172. I got up to 195 with Tess! True, I went to 42 weeks with her, and she was a 10-pound baby, so I should be happy if this one comes on time, and around 8 pounds.

I've been having a lot of Braxton-Hicks, for the last month or two, more strong this last month. My energy is back, after being zapped around the 4th of July...I was very ill at my mom's (food poisoning at French Laundry on my way up? or pure anxiety due to an ill-timed, guilt-inducing email from my mom just before we headed up? Hard to tell...).

Yesterday I could've sworn I was nesting...I HAD to start laundry right after breakfast, and clean the bathroom (my most dreaded job) right after my shower. Totally not me.

I've also hit a creative streak...or at least, wanting to work more on my creativity. Especially writing. Brilliant E, he used our credit card rewards program to get gift certificates for Amazon and Borders (he knows me too well), so I've been book shopping. Here's my latest finds:

Writing

• Secrets of the Zona Rosa, by Rosemary Daniell: I've been toying with the idea of starting a MeetUp Writer's Block group (if it weren't for the *paying* part of it, it would be done). This book is a little more navel-gazing (with a group of women? aaaack) than fits my leadership tastes, but it's chock full of great quotes and writing "exorcises."
• See Jane Write: A Girl's Guide to Writing Chick Lit, by Sarah Mlynowski and Farrin Jacobs: Just preparing for NaNo in November. I know, with a newborn. As if. Well, I'm fighting the idea of the sophmore slump!
• Writing Your Life, by Lou Willett Stanek, Ph.D.: I was looking for Writing About Your Life, by William Zinsser, but found this instead. I did find Zinsser's book, but it looked too "literary" and stuffy for me (although I've heard it's full of warm and witty advice...fonts and layout really mean a lot, you know?). Stanek's book had the best writer's block quote for me at this time (after struggling with the idea of Julia Cameron's Narrative Time Line, and Tristine Rainer's similar suggestion): "Working with a small bit of your past makes it easier to keep focus."

Scrapbooking

• Clean and Simple Scrapbooking and
• Clean and Simple Scrapbooking: the Sequel, by Cathy Zielske: two books I bought with my Amazon gift certificate. I like that she scraps in 8 1/2 x 11, since she can then print directly on her layouts (without an oversized printer, something very few of us -- even scrapbooking stars -- can afford). Her design advice is similar to Ali Edwards and Simply Graphic (a book out by CK's rival publishers, Memory Makers magazine), but her style is more, um...well, clean and simple, such as I aspire to. Ali Edwards is more eclectic, somewhat collage-y (without being junky), and architectural. Not really my style.
• Decorative Journals, by Donna Downey: (OMIGOD, total dish on her blog...she's coming to the Zone in October!!) I'm not a fan of her other titles, which involve photo decor (if I have to dust it later, I won't make it, no matter how cute and/or sentimental), but I tagged this on to my Amazon order because [a] I was over my $25 gift certificate limit anyway, [b] I couldn't resist their price and [c] I liked the idea of illustrated directions for different journal projects. I just wish she had more suggestions for different themes; they're only listed on a handful of the 25 projects in this book.
• The Big Picture by Stacy Julian (founder, Simple Scrapbooks magazine, a CK sister pub): Going old-school, I bought her Scrapbooking Made Easy (basically, with my Joann's coupon & creative cash cards, I got it for free) a while back, and it got me going on my Theatre album. I love that she started online scrapbooking classes. One of the gals that I crop with said that The Big Picture (and taking a live, in-person class with Stacy) changed her scrapping outlook entirely, so I had to check it out. I love the concept of scrapping out of sequence, even though I'm up-to-date on my annual family albums and still firmly believe in staying chronological (it's the Virgo I'm on the cusp of). However, I believe this book (and outlook) will help me get those theme albums (such as my Book of Me) under control. Also, I have a feeling with baby #2, things might get out of hand in the future. The Big Picture is not just about scrapbooking, but also about living creatively (open and aware), and as a writer, I'm all about that!